Although the GSM Galaxy Nexus – which we reviewed back in November - has proved generally solid, we have experienced a few issues over the past month or so. A few spontaneous restarts have occurred, and we’ve had a couple of incoming voice calls suddenly drop despite having near full signal strength indicated.

It’s too early to tell whether this update addresses those problems, though there are also tweaks to Google Navigation audio volume and WiFi improvements believed to be included. The update first began rolling out back in December, but Google then froze its distribution and has only resumed the OTA process today.

The Verizon LTE version of the Galaxy Nexus has already been updated to Android 4.0.2.

[via Android Community]

Reuters reports that GSM standards are used on 80% of the mobile phones on the market today meaning billions of mobile phone users could be open to the attack. This sort of attack has been carried out before and was targeted to specific devices. The difference here is the number of devices open to the attack.

Karsten Nohl, the head of Germany’s Security Research labs said that the new flaw would allow a nefarious sort to attack hundreds of thousands of phones in a short time frame. The attack would allow hoards of calls to be placed to premium numbers racking up potentially huge money for the hacker. Thankfully, Nohl won’t be offering details on the hack at the conference.

[via Reuters]

To be doubly clear here, what owning a World Phone means in this case is that you’re supposed to be able to trade out the SIM card in your device to work with whatever carrier you like when you’re traveling abroad, for the iPhone 4S this means that, as Apple says, “whether you’re a GSM or CDMA customer, you can roam GSM networks in 200 countries around the world.” Sounds pretty convenient, yes? It certainly is if you’ve picked up the Verizon Wireless version of the iPhone 4S, at least. We’ve got confirmation of what the rules are exactly from Verizon Public Relations Spokesperson Brenda Raney, who notes:

“It is our standard unlock policy for all Global Phones. You have to have been a customer for 60 days and in good standing (meaning your bill is current) and the phone you want to unlock must be on our network at the time of the request. You call Verizon Wireless before you leave the country and we unlock the SIM. We will honor one unlock every 10 months.” — Brenda Raney, Verizon Wireless Public Relations

Sound easy enough to you?

Then there’s Sprint, jumping in on the iPhone market here for the first time, perhaps taking too big a risk in doing so, having the iPhone 4S not available for international unlocking at all. Ask your local Sprint representative and they’ll tell you the same: roaming internationally on Sprint will only be available with a specific plan chosen from Sprint’s own collection, and no unlocking will be offered at any time in the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile Apple will be releasing unlocked versions of the iPhone 4S ranging in price from $649.00 to $849.00 depending on the GB storage you’d like inside. These devices only have access to GSM networks, on the other hand, so they will not work with CDMA carriers like Sprint or Verizon Wireless inside the states.

Does any of this sway your decision on if or from whom you’ll buy?

Also don’t forget to check out our gigantic reviews of both the iPhone 4S and iOS 5, and don’t you dare feed the trolls!

The developer provided app usage logs for an app that they were developing, revealing that a number of people who registered to test out the app did so from a device that is most certainly an iPhone 5. Unlike all models thus far of the iPhone, this new single device had two distinct sets of mobile network codes (MNC) and mobile country codes (MCC). These codes can be used to identify mobile carriers.

Some of the devices that registered to test out the developer’s app showed MNC/MCC codes from both Verizon and AT&T. This is great news for CDMA iPhone users that wish to travel abroad since dual-mode support would mean convenient roaming between the two networks. However, this could also mean that those hoping for a 4G LTE iPhone 5 will be disappointed.

[via TechCrunch]

The previous FCC filing indicated support for only GSM 850/1900 and WCDMA bands II and V. This new filing today indicates support for CDMA/EvDO bands 850/1900, GSM bands 850/900/1800/1900, and UMTS bands 900/2100. Speculation pins it to be a device headed for Verizon. However, the additional bands supported suggest that it will work anywhere in the world.

Verizon has not confirmed any news about an upcoming HP Pre 3 in their lineup. But the WebOS device, now also being a world phone, should be a welcome addition to the CDMA carrier. The FCC filing suggests that an unveiling should be coming soon.

[via WirelessGoodness]

While AT&T provides a satellite dish, if there’s a stable wired backbone to the network then the “Fly-away” solution can be hooked up direct to that. In effect, it’s a big femtocell, just like AT&T’s 3G Microcell, but one which requires powering from an external generator.

According to the AP the systems will range from $15,000 to $45,000, as well as being subject to monthly fees. They’ll be on sale to governments and businesses, though are probably overkill unless you live in an area with particularly bad reception.

Press Release:

AT&T Remote Mobility Zone Aids Critical Communications in Emergency and Disaster Situations

Business and Government Organizations of All Sizes Can Now Activate Emergency Cell Sites

Business, government and public safety agencies can be better prepared for natural or man-made disasters with the help of AT&T Remote Mobility Zone, a new offering that provides mobile voice and data services in the absence of wireless coverage. Designed to support essential communications, AT&T Remote Mobility Zone allows organizations to set up their own cell sites during a disaster scenario. AT&T* is the first carrier to supply a customer-deployable model for mobility recovery to help with disaster recovery and business continuity efforts.

“In the pivotal first minutes of a natural or man-made disaster, AT&T Remote Mobility Zone provides a solution to help maintain critical mobile communications,” said Chris Hill, vice president, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. “With AT&T Remote Mobility Zone, users can set up a cell site in less than 30 minutes.”

AT&T Remote Mobility Zone is also well suited for organizations that operate in remote locations where AT&T holds licensed spectrum, but in which wireless coverage may not be available. AT&T Mobility Vanguard Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T, can install permanent cell sites for customers that work in these areas, providing mobile voice and data service.

AT&T offers several options of Remote Mobility Zone solutions:

Fixed site deployment establishes a mounted cell site for use as a backup communications system or as a primary network in zones without wireless network coverage. This can help enhance business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities by enabling sensitive operations to proceed even in loss-of-service situations.
The “Fly-away” solution packs a small cell site into a suitcase, offering first responders an easy-to-use, transportable system that can bring voice and data coverage to an area where disaster has knocked out communication channels. These small cell sites can extend connectivity up to one half of a mile in any direction from the suitcase site. Created for use by police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders, the Fly-away AT&T Remote Mobility Zone option is currently available to government agencies and personnel.
“Park and Use,” designed specifically for government use, integrates small cell sites into vehicles, allowing users to drive to locations without wireless coverage and activate service then and there. Roof-mounted satellite antennas further enhance communications on the move.
Customers that choose to protect their communications with AT&T Remote Mobility Zone can use their existing AT&T handsets with all three of the solutions listed above. Additionally, in disaster or emergency conditions, AT&T Remote Mobility Zone clients with AT&T Wireless Priority Service can choose to prioritize certain cellular traffic to ensure that key personnel can access the network.

Today’s announcement is the latest addition to AT&T’s portfolio of solutions that help mobilize government and business. AT&T offers a wide array of business continuity services, encompassing disaster planning, risk management, recovery preparedness and communications readiness. AT&T Business Continuity Services are comprehensive, providing customers with business-impact analysis, risk assessments, enterprise hosting, cloud computing and application services, a full continuum of storage solutions, high-availability network solutions and network and IT security solutions.

AT&T also conducts several Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) exercises each year, the most recent of which took place in Dallas in March. These events are designed to test, refine and strengthen AT&T’s business continuity and disaster recovery services. By simulating large-scale disasters and network service disruptions, AT&T can apply and hone best practices for rapidly restoring communications.

AT&T has invested more than $600 million in its NDR program, which includes specially trained managers, engineers and technicians from across the United States, as well as a fleet of more than 320 self-contained equipment trailers and support vehicles that house the same equipment and components as an AT&T data-routing or voice-switching center.

For more information on AT&T Remote Mobility Zone and other enterprise mobility solutions, please visit: www.att.com/armz.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

Previous rumors had pegged the iPhone 4 as a dual-mode device, capable of accessing both AT&T and Verizon’s networks with a single handset, but the model eventually released only had the CDMA radio enabled. Rumors shifted to the iPhone 5, then, and the possibility of Apple using a Qualcomm Gobi chips in its fifth-gen model.

Verizon’s audio download and transcript aren’t available yet – they’ll be uploaded here eventually – but we’re guessing the calls between the carrier and Apple are already heated. Recent rumors suggested the iPhone 5 would arrive in September, with an 8-megapixel camera and the dual-core 1GHz Apple A5 processor from the iPad 2.

[via Electronista]

Verizon’s 4G LTE devices require a SIM card for network identification, though if Sony Ericsson has upgraded the XPERIA Play for the carrier’s LTE network then we’d be surprised that they haven’t made more of that fact in advertising the handset. Perhaps more likely is World Phone functionality, which would allow Verizon XPERIA Play owners to take their CDMA device abroad and use it on GSM 3G networks.

Otherwise, things look roughly in line with the GSM-only version of the XPERIA Play which we reviewed last week. Hopefully Sony Ericsson do some tweaking to the display before it arrives in the US, though, since poor screen brightness was one of our key complaints.

[via Android Community]

Consumers, especially those who require GSM over CDMA, may suffer from less competitive pricing plans. Even if T-Mobile is kept as a separate subsidiary, there’s no longer need for it to compete against AT&T. It will be interesting to see how Verizon and Sprint respond to this development in the upcoming months.

When you look at some of the other countries where there is less network technology fragmentation we have tended to see more advancements in their infrastructure. Hopefully with AT&T having a near monopoly of the GSM network in the US we will see more advancements as they seek to standardize future network technologies. We would also hope that this level of standardization would encourage and promote more handset innovation as well.

The Cons of Consolidation
Of course the negative of consolidation is the lack of competition. With AT&T acquiring T-Mobile, they no longer have any real competition in the GSM market. There are network benefits that GSM brings to many consumers who prefer it to CDMA. T-Mobile was in a position to keep the pressure on AT&T with pricing, GSM network technology as well as with the devices themselves.

So would we be surprised if somewhere in the next few years Verizon made a bid for Sprint? Probably not, although it would be mostly for the customer base rather than the network technology. As I said at the beginning, network operator consolidation was expected. Now we will wait to see how it unfolds and how AT&T uses this acquisition to better their networks and keep their prices – as well as the devices that run on their network – competitive.

AT&T also through this acquisition will look to build out the most expansive LTE network in the US. The press release sites one of the goals of the acquisition as being “to provide an optimal combination of network assets to add capacity sooner than any alternative, as well as provide an opportunity to improve network quality in the near term for both companies’ customers.”

Another highlight of the release is AT&T’s CEO and Chairman Randall Stephenson saying “[the acquisition] will improve network quality, and it will bring advanced LTE capabilities to more than 294 million people. Mobile broadband networks drive economic opportunity everywhere, and they enable the expanding high-tech ecosystem that includes device makers, cloud and content providers, app developers, customers, and more. During the past few years, America’s high-tech industry has delivered innovation at unprecedented speed, and this combination will accelerate its continued growth.” We will have to see if this is good news or bad news as consolidation cuts down on competition and isn’t always good news for consumers.

9 to 5 Mac points to rumors that the iPhone 5 will use one of Qualcomm’s hybrid GSM/CDMA radios. These Gobi chips can support both GSM and CDMA usage, meaning a single device could – if enabled in the software – be used on both Verizon’s network and AT&T’s network. Apple has actually implemented a so-called World Phone modem in the Verizon iPhone 4, though locked it to support only CDMA use.

As for dual lines, that could be a reference to multiple numbers on the same iPhone 5 – a work number and a personal number, for instance – or it could be further confusion over the nature of the Gobi chipset. Recent rumors have suggested that the iPhone 5 will pack Apple’s new dual-core Apple A5 processor, but not support NFC.

[via GottaBeMobile]

However, two sources claim T-Mobile USA is also looking into buying wireless spectrum from Clearwire as an alternative to a Sprint merger. Deutsche Telekom CFO Timotheus Hoettges would only say that ”In general, all options are open in the U.S. — the sale of the whole business or of parts,” though has previously claimed that the carrier is “not under pressure” and won’t be rushing any decision.

Last week, Sprint suggested it was considering an LTE 4G network deployment that could, the carrier insisted, be operational by 2012 and cover the US by 2013. However, there was speculation that Sprint’s motivation was to pressure WiMAX partner Clearwire amid ongoing wholesale revenue negotiations.

As well as having CDMA/EVDO Rev.A connectivity for use in North America, the Trophy will also be able to use the GSM/UMTS networks more prevalent in Europe and elsewhere. Considering the Arrive will be little use beyond WiFi when travelling internationally, that’s a big bonus for frequent flyers.

Now for the bad news; according to a Verizon source who is supposedly “involved with the phone,” we shouldn’t expect to see it launch until June. Previous rumors had pegged a late March release, but according to this new information Verizon is still testing it with its large corporate partners.

“While you don’t have to activate 3G service right away, you should choose your iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G according to the carrier you prefer” Apple warns. We’d hoped that the iPad 2 would have a hybrid GSM/CDMA modem which could be used on both AT&T’s 3G/UMTS and Verizon’s EVDO Rev.A networks, but sadly that’s not the case.

In fact, if you opt for the Verizon iPad 2 WiFi + 3G, then just as with the Verizon iPhone 4 you won’t be able to access cellular services outside of North America. The modem is CDMA-only, rather than a so-called World Phone modem, and don’t even think about 4G LTE. We’ll have to wait until the first teardowns to know whether, as in the Verizon iPhone, there’s actually a dual-mode modem in there that’s simply locked to one or the other connection types.

The analyst also throws his hat in with existing predictions of a front-facing FaceTime HD camera for video calls, together with a faster processor and more RAM. He also expects both GSM and CDMA support, though not 4G; that might imply simultaneous availability on both AT&T and Verizon in the US, building on Apple’s recent deal with the Verizon iPhone 4.

“It appears that Apple is once again pushing the technology envelope by making the device far thinner than the original iPad, and the iPad 2′s ultra-thin glass screen is generating yield issues … As of now, we are not assuming Apple will expand the storage capacity for the iPad, which should enable the company to enjoy better product margins over time” Bill Shope, analyst, Goldman Sachs

Yesterday it was revealed that Apple had cut supplies of the first-gen iPad to resellers, suggesting a new model was not only due for unveil on Wednesday but would arrive in shops imminently as well. We’re also expecting a preview of iOS 5.0, and most likely the release of iOS 4.3.

While the outside of the smartphone looks little changed from the original GSM version, inside it’s a completely different story. iFixit found that all of the RF components, including antenna placement, EMI (electromagnetic interference) shields, connector locations, and even the board layout have changed. Even the vibration motor has been modified and shifted in the chassis.

Since the antenna design was pretty much locked in, it seems even more time than normal has been spent “polishing” the concept, as iFixi says, to keep the familiar appearance. The radio chipset is the same as in the Verizon DROID Pro, and could in fact support both CDMA and GSM/WCDMA; the teardown team speculates that Apple chose not to because of the antenna design hassles.

Those were the opening lines in my first column for SlashGear back in October of 2009. I went on to note that while I don’t usually make specific product predictions, I would go out on a limb and provide a guess on when we’d see an iPhone on Verizon Wireless: in 2014, when Verizon Wireless completed its LTE rollout.

By then, Apple could provide a single iPhone that worked across both AT&T and Verizon Wireless LTE networks. I later adjusted that estimate to 2012 once Verizon Wireless accelerated the expected completion date of its national LTE rollout.

Proof that I should never had made specific predictions came a few weeks ago when I attended a press conference in New York and got hands-on with an iPhone 4 specifically designed for Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network. It started shipping earlier this month.

Apple isn’t building a CDMA iPhone just to sell a lot of phones. There are certainly financial considerations here – Apple was leaving a lot of money on the table by offering its phone through just a single U.S. carrier (Current Analysis doesn’t create sales forecasts, but if we did, it would be a very big number). However, Apple’s business model is to build a hardware platform once and then focus on software and services.

Other handset vendors build both CDMA and GSM devices, or even multi-mode devices, but for Apple to justify building an entirely separate hardware platform, it needed more than just the promise of additional device sales. Verizon Wireless admitted as much when it noted that it was never in the running for the original 2007 iPhone, and that it had to approach Apple in 2009 rather than the other way around. In addition to being an exceptionally profitable endeavor, Apple had three reasons to build a CDMA iPhone:

1. Blunt the rise of rivals. Without an iPhone, Verizon Wireless was forced to back other operating systems. The carrier proved to be a powerful backer, first fueling sales of miserable touchscreen products from RIM and then increasingly strong Android devices. To some extent, the damage has already been done with Android, which evolved extremely quickly from an OS only a geek could love just eighteen months ago, into a polished user experience with 2.2 and later. Still, an iPhone at Verizon Wireless should slow Android sales going forward and prevent Verizon Wireless from overinvesting in webOS or Windows Phone 7.

2. Offload some of AT&T’s network traffic and disassociate Apple’s brand from AT&T in the U.S. AT&T’s network has repeatedly failed in three locations: the San Francisco bay area (where Apple is located), New York City (where much of the media and most of the financial industry is located), and anywhere a few hundred journalists converge (such as CES press conferences at the Venetian). AT&T has made strides in improving the network performance in Manhattan and the AT&T-Apple relationship remains strong, but Steve Jobs is a perfectionist, and a large part of the consumer experience of a phone is the network it is on.

3. Finally, it turns out that waiting and doing a single LTE/HSPA iPhone is not really an option. Verizon Wireless and AT&T are both migrating to LTE for their 4G network deployments, but, at least initially, both companies are using LTE just for data, not voice. This means that Apple cannot wait for the national LTE rollouts to be complete and then create just a single LTE iPhone, because it still will not function as a phone on Verizon Wireless without CDMA in there, too. (A single LTE device may not work properly on both AT&T and Verizon Wireless in any case; while both carriers are deploying on the 700 MHz band, the specific frequencies used within those bands is far enough apart that the antenna may have to be tuned to one network or the other for best performance.) Given these circumstances, building a CDMA/EV-DO iPhone is a necessary prelude to any LTE iPhone in the future.

So, now that we have a CDMA iPhone, when will Apple build an LTE iPhone? I think I should probably quit making these sorts of predictions once and for all. Sorry.

According to Verizon’s FAQ, the CDMA iPhone 4 will be sold agreement-free at $649.99 for the 16GB model, and $749.99 for the 32GB model. In contrast, on AT&T you’d be paying $599 for the 16GB or $699 for the 32GB.

We’re assuming that the price difference comes down to the different costs of GSM and CDMA radios, and that Verizon is swallowing the extra in return for you opting for a contract. The Verizon iPhone 4 will go on general sale from February 10.

[via Pocketnow]

The world’s smallest cellphone jammer is designed to work within a small range, so if you wanted to take out a large swath of cellphone users, you’re out of luck. The device is able to take out GSM and 3G signals, all within a 34-foot radius. When the device is activated, and there’s a cellphone with the correct frequency in play, the user on the phone will suddenly be attacked by static, instead of the person’s voice on the other line.

As we mentioned above, the world’s smallest cellphone jammer is available to purchase right now. It only costs $46. However, here’s something to think about, if you’re in the United States and think this is something for you: it’s illegal to use a cellphone jammer in these parts. The fine? $11,000, on top of the year in prison you could find yourself in. Laws are different all around the world, though.

[via TechnaBob]

“Recent checks … suggest Apple is going to be ratcheting down production of the existing 3G iPad over the next two months in anticipation of ramping up a new World iPad that is powered by Qualcomm and will run on both GSM and CDMA based networks around the world” Brian Blair, analyst, Wedge Partners

Apple is currently selling iPad slates through Verizon stores, but not with integrated 3G connectivity for the carrier’s EVDO Rev.A network. Instead, those looking to get online via Verizon’s cellular networks have to use a MiFi mobile hotspot and tether the iPad using WiFi. The new Qualcomm modems would mean a single World iPad 3G SKU could use both GSM and CDMA networks natively.

“We … understand the new iPad is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed. We understand it requires a new type of manufacturing process as a result, similar to the company’s unibody approach seen in MacBooks”

Blair also goes on to speculate about the hardware of the second-generation iPad, suggesting it will be thinner than the current model and use similar manufacturing processes to the updated MacBook Air. Previous rumors have suggested Apple will outfit the 2nd-gen tablet with a Retina Display, as found on the iPhone 4.

Basically, that means the MiFi 3352 is headed to Europe and Asia, while the MiFi 3372 has support for AT&T’s 3G network in the US.  No sign of the 1700MHz band required for T-Mobile USA, unfortunately.  Of course there’s no information on release dates in the certification, but we’re guessing these new MiFi devices aren’t far out from an official announcement.

[via Twitter]

Those chips, Qualcomm says, would allow handsets to use both UMTS/HSPA and CDMA/EVDO networks, meaning devices could be used with Verizon and AT&T in the US.  Infineon has no such technology; the company was acquired by Intel back in August, with the company saying its focus was on leveraging WiMAX and LTE.

The Chinese Economic Daily News report also claimed to have pinned down Apple’s other suppliers for the iPhone 5 and iPad 2, with a list that in many places is unchanged from the current models.  For instance, a Samsung processor and Marvell WiFi is suggested, along with a Broadcom touchscreen controller, National Semiconductor/Infineon video display tech, and CSR Bluetooth.  Finally Intel are tipped to supply the flash storage, and Texas Instruments the all-important power management technology.

Of course, while people may be dreaming of a Sprint 4G-based Windows Phone 7, there’s a reason why Microsoft is deciding to go down this route. GSM is used around the world, while CDMA is a far more “localized” effort. With that being said, Sullivan added that CDMA devices would be making an appearance in the first half of 2011, and no sooner than that.

Whether or not you bite into the rumors that the Kin deal with Verizon ruined the relationship between Microsoft and the wireless carrier is up to you, but it could indeed add some very curious points to the story. As it stands, T-Mobile and AT&T have a heavy burden on their shoulders now: launch Windows Phone 7, and keep it afloat long enough for Verizon and Sprint to get a hold of it. Hopefully we don’t have a Kin reenactment.

[via CNET]

On the back there’s a pop-open door which hides a paper address book, while a pull-out pen can be used to jot down numbers.  Up to ten speed-dials can be set – one for each number key – and it comes carrier-unlocked, quadband and ready to take any standard SIM card.

A volume switch on the side toggles between ringer-off, medium and loud, while the display shows battery status and caller ID (and can be conveniently read even with the phone in your pocket or bag).  John’s Phone are targeting travellers, the elderly or people who don’t want the frustration and complexity of a regular phone; the handset will begin shipping at the start of October.

[via BoingBoing]

That could be simple confusion over the names, or it could suggest different internal hardware, most likely alternative radios for different carriers.  HTC are believed to be preparing several WP7 devices for launch day, and Xmoo has confirmed that the Mozart is a GSM device intended for the European market.

Other details are unknown, but the smartphone doesn’t have any HTC apps preloaded and the microUSB port is on the right side of the handset.  Xmoo also tips the HTC Spark as being basically the same device but with a smaller screen.

As it stands right now, according to Dan Hesse –the CEO of Sprint, Sprint (and Clearwire, by default) are sitting on so much 4G spectrum, that they could easily support LTE right alongside the current iteration of WiMAX they now utilize. With all of that extra spectrum just “lying around,” talk about a T-Mobile merger have begun all over again, thanks to some analysts out there. Those rumors were intense back in 2008, but thanks to the fact that Sprint uses CDMA and T-Mobile goes the GSM path, the talks supposedly stalled (and dissolved entirely, it would seem).

However, if T-Mobile executives would be willing to transition to LTE, and if Sprint found themselves going the same route, then that would mean a merger between the two companies would just be logical. At least, that’s what Dan Hesse believes. He would not expand on the idea, but we don’t imagine he needs to at this moment, considering it’s not happening any time (really) soon. It would be a good thing for both wireless carriers, as that would mean Sprint would get an extra 33 million customers, and T-Mobile would gain access to a whole swathe of 4G spectrum. A win-win situation, right? What do you think about a Sprint/T-Mobile merger?

[via PhoneScoop]

The CDMA variations of the Nexus One have all but fallen off the map. Perhaps, in fact, entirely off the map. With Verizon opting out of the deal because of their recent launch of the HTC Incredible, and then Sprint deciding to say no to the Nexus One as well in light of the EVO 4G‘s release not even a month away, the only two version of the Nexus One available in the United States were of the GSM variation. So, not much to go on. And now, Andy Rubin of Google has officially announced that, starting now, the Nexus One will start being sold in retail stores around the world. And that means it’s going to not be sold in the Google Phone Store.

To add to it, Google is saying that the Phone Store will now just be a “window to showcase a variety of Android phones available globally.” So, in just four months Google’s Phone Store has become nothing more than a window shopping tool. Though, this does mean the Nexus One will start being sold in retail stores, so that may be good news to some people out there.

[via Google's Official Blog]

You’ll also need a data plan, either one of Sprint’s consumer plans like Everything Data or a business plan like Business Advantage Messaging and Data.  Since there’s not only CMDA EVDO Rev.A support but quadband GSM/EDGE and 2100MHz UMTS, the Bold 9650 will work outside of the US too, though beware the fees involved; if you’re a corporate customer, you can opt for Sprint’s $69.99 Worldwide BlackBerry plan which includes roaming calls, messaging and data.

Alternatively it seems the 9650 is provided SIM-unlocked, so you can slot in a local SIM card and take advantage of cheaper rates.  More details on the BlackBerry Bold 9650′s hardware functionality here.

Press Release:

Advanced Features and Refined Style of BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone Coming to Sprint

Available in all Sprint sale channels May 23, the new BlackBerry Bold 9650 offers international roaming for a global smartphone experience

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Apr 26, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –With an extensive array of high-end communications and multimedia features, compact and highly refined design and international roaming capabilities, the new BlackBerry(R) Bold(TM) 9650 smartphone will be available from Sprint (NYSE: S). It will operate on Sprint’s nationwide 3G Network domestically, and roams on other high-speed wireless networks around the world for reliable voice and email communication.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone will be available for $199.99 with a new two-year service agreement, after a $100 mail-in rebate (taxes & surcharges excluded). It can be purchased in all other Sprint sales channels, including Web sales (www.sprint.com), Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1), Sprint Business Sales, Sprint stores, national retailers and third-party dealers, Sunday, May 23.

BlackBerry Bold 9650 provides instant access to email, calendar, contacts, robust business and entertainment applications and location-based services, leveraging the best performing wireless networks in the United States and abroad. It is also ideally suited for those who want to stay socially connected and share moments through pictures and videos over MMS and popular IM services like BlackBerry(R) Messenger. It also offers easy access to social networking sites like Flickr(R), MySpace(TM) and Facebook(R), with smooth integration, providing a great view of what’s happening both personally and professionally.

“BlackBerry Bold 9650 extends Sprint’s position of offering the best portfolio of BlackBerry smartphones in the industry with a powerful mobility tool for those who want to stay connected, both domestically and abroad,” said Fared Adib, vice president – Product Development, Sprint. “Our customers will appreciate its fast Web browsing, downloads and streaming as well as social media and productivity enhancing applications. This is an ideal smartphone for juggling busy personal and professional lives.”

“The BlackBerry Bold 9650 is a sophisticated and feature-rich smartphone with uncompromising performance that lets you stay connected to the people and content that matter most, whether at home or travelling the world,” said David Smith, vice president of Handheld Product Management, RIM.

In addition to top-of-the-line performance, functionality and features, the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone comes with BlackBerry(R) OS 5. It is also designed with a smoothly integrated optical trackpad and a distinctive, highly tactile, fretted keyboard and features a large, high-resolution display (480 x 360 resolution at 245 ppi).

Additional features include:

Access to up to 10 supported email accounts (including most popular ISP email accounts such as Yahoo!(R), Windows Live(TM) Hotmail(R), AOL(R) and Gmail(TM)), plus BlackBerry(R) Enterprise Server support offering advanced security and IT administration capabilities for corporate deployments
Built-in GPS and Wi-Fi(R) (802.11 b/g)
3.2 MP camera with flash, variable zoom, image stabilization, autofocus and video recording
Advanced media player for enjoying pictures, video and music
512 MB Flash memory and an expandable memory card slot that supports up to 32 GB microSDHC cards, with a 2 GB microSD card included
3.5 mm stereo headset jack
Support for the Bluetooth(R) stereo headsets (A2DP/AVCRP)
Sprint Music Store, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV(R), Sprint Football Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile
BlackBerry(R) App World(TM) for access to thousands of applications
The 3G Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than 269 million people, 18,652 cities and 1,838 airports. The Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) have twice the coverage of AT&T’s current 3G network and 14 times the coverage of T-Mobile’s current 3G network, both based on square miles1.

According to Sprint performance data, Sprint Mobile Broadband connections are successfully connected and maintained better than 99 out of 100 times. According to a recent independent network test conducted by PC World, no one has a more reliable network than Sprint based on a recent 13 city 3G performance test 2.

BlackBerry Bold 9650 for most customers requires activation on an Everything Data plan or a Business Advantage Messaging and Data plan. Additional plan options are available for business customers. For just $69.99 per month, Sprint’s affordable Everything Data 450 plan with Any Mobile, AnytimeSM gives customers unlimited calling with any U.S. wireless user, unlimited text and picture messaging, unlimited Web, email and social networking, and unlimited GPS navigation for the same price AT&T and Verizon charge for unlimited talk only. Sprint Everything Data plans also automatically enroll customers in the Sprint Premier loyalty program, which provides annual device upgrades, discounted accessories and other benefits.

Sprint’s Simply EverythingSM plan offers nationwide unlimited calling, unlimited text and unlimited data, including email, social networking, Web browsing, Sprint Navigation, Sprint TV, streaming music, Sprint Football Live and NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, for only $99.99 per month (plus taxes and surcharges). That is a $480 savings over two years vs. a comparable AT&T iPhone(R) plan3. (Prices exclude taxes and surcharges. Both Everything Data and Simply Everything plans are available to existing customers without extending their service agreement. New lines of service require a two-year service agreement.)

International Travel

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone operates domestically on the Sprint 3G network, and globally on 2100 MHz UMTS/HSPA and quad-band EDGE/GSM/GPRS networks where Sprint has international roaming agreements. With this smartphone, Sprint customers have the power to make or receive phone calls in more than 185 countries and access BlackBerry(R) data services including email, apps and Web browsing in nearly 150 countries.

Sprint offers clear value and simplicity with its Worldwide BlackBerry(R) service plan. The Worldwide BlackBerry plan gives customers unlimited BlackBerry email and Web access in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other locations using CDMA technology, and with UMTS and EDGE/GSM/GPRS carriers abroad where Sprint has applicable roaming agreements. The plan is available to corporate customers for $69.99 per month, or an additional $40 per month (excluding taxes and surcharges) as an attachable to Simply EverythingSM, Everything Data, Everything Data Family or Business Advantage with Messaging and Data plans.

Sprint international voice roaming rates range from $0.59 to $5.99 per minute, depending on where customers are calling. Customers making frequent calls while in Canada can take advantage of a specific service plan for $2.99 per month which allows calls to be made and received at $0.20 per minute. Additional pricing plans are available exclusively to enterprise customers.

Customers also have the option of using a third-party SIM for international voice and data services.

About Sprint Nextel

Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving more than 48 million customers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The company’s customer-focused strategy has led to improved first call resolution and customer care satisfaction scores. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third party products or services.

1 Coverage comparison based on publicly available information as of 04/01/09 inclusive of Sprint roaming partners. Based on square miles.

2 PC World’s test included Sprint, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in thirteen major cities in all regions of the country during December 2009 & January 2010. In all, roughly 9,000 individual tests of Sprint’s 3G service were conducted from 280 testing locations in 13 cities. Testing sessions were one minute in duration per location, and network performance can be highly variable from neighborhood to neighborhood. In laptop-based tests, Sprint tied with another carrier for first in 3G network reliability

3 Savings based on publicly available information comparing AT&T Nation Unlimited plus required iPhone data plan and optional unlimited text messaging totaling $119.99/month for AT&T as of publication date, excluding taxes, surcharges and fees. iPhone is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

The KingCall card is a micro-SD card with a smart card “in-chip” that encrypts both voice and text when used with VoIP services. All of the encryption and decryption is handled on the microSD card meaning there is no performance impact for the smartphone.

The card can be used in any unmodified 3G smartphone. The fact that all of the encryption and decryption is done on the microSD card also means the encryption keys aren’t subject to theft using Trojans or viruses. The card will be shown off on devices running on the Sprint network using Windows Mobile and on T-Mobile devices at RSA in San Francisco soon.

The Legend will sport a 600MHz processor, with a 3.2-inch AMOLED screen to boot. There’s also a 5-megapixel camera equipped with LED flash and an optical trackpad in lieu of a trackball. It should also ship with the latest 2.1 flavor of Android.

Other than a rumored European pricing, not much else has been revealed.  You can check out the hands-on from MWC 2010 here.

[FCC via Android Community]

As with the original magicJack, the adapter plugs into a broadband-enabled computer.  Users must first move their phone within eight feet of the magicJack femto, which will then place a call to the handset.  After punching in a code, both are connected and – as long as you stay within range, roughly sufficient to cover a 3,000 square foot home – all calls are routed over the magicJack’s VoIP connection.

The CEO of magicJack parent company YMax, Dan Borislow, reckons that the new femtocell occupies a legal black hole since carriers’ wireless spectrum licenses don’t extend into the home.  Testing at CES apparently showed that the new system worked with a handset from T-Mobile, and indeed any GSM handset should suffice.  magicJack plan to sell the femtocell for $40, which includes free calls to the US and Canada for a year.

AT&T, T-Mobile and the FCC, meanwhile, are looking into the legality of the system, and had no immediate comment.

[via Gizmodo]

There’s some discussion that the H3G reference is to carrier 3 UK’s version of the Android smartphone, and indeed the version number of this new ROM is very similar to the previous so-called generic update for unlocked Heroes, released all the way back in September 2009.  It could be that the software merely addresses the same speed and stability which that first incremental update tweaked.  Disappointing, given HTC’s promise to deliver Android 2.x for the Hero at some point in 2010.  We’re checking in with HTC about it, but given it’s outside of office hours in the UK we may have to wait until next week to hear conclusively.

Update: HTC’s PR team have told us that yes, this is simply an update for Hero handsets bought from 3 UK.  Still no significant Android version upgrade, sadly.

[via Android Community]

magicJack aren’t especially forthcoming on how their femtocell works.  Apparently any GSM phone can be used, and all you need to do is bring it within 8 feet the first time – to allow it to “register” – before using it at anywhere in up to a 3,000 square foot house.  Calls are routed over magicJack’s Voice Network, an account for which costs $20 per year.

Other than that there are no technical details, which leaves us somewhat confused.  magicJack will supposedly be offering the femtocell to their existing subscribers first – no word on what it might cost them – and we’re hoping they’ll spill some more information later on in CES 2010.

Press Release:

magicJack Announces Only Plug and Play, Carrier Agnostic Femtocell Technology

Home-brewed Telecom Technology Enables Free Cell Phone Calls

LAS VEGAS –(Business Wire)– Jan 07, 2010 Coming off a major growth year, magicJack inventor and founder Dan Borislow introduces another industry first: the smallest, lowest cost, plug and play femtocell technology.

What is our femtocell?

magicJack’s femtocell technology enables your cell phone or smart phone to connect through our Voice Network, instead of your carrier network. By utilizing our network via a magicJack account that costs just $20 a year, you may save hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year by offsetting cellular minutes. In addition, when calling internationally, customers will save anywhere from 95-100 percent off current cellular carrier rates. Up to 50 percent of mobile users have terrible phone reception in their houses or small businesses. With our femtocell technology, people will get exceptionally clear quality voice calls every time.

This femtocell will work with mobile phones from potentially any carrier and you may even use an old GSM cell phone without any paid service plans with a carrier. Not only can people connect to their own magicJack device but they can also connect to other femtocell-enabled magicJacks at friends’ houses and businesses. All the user has to do is come within eight feet of the magicJack one time to register the connection and then talk away within a range of a 3000 square foot house.

Other companies have spent up to billions of dollars developing versions of femtocell but they have not achieved the ease-of-use, considerably smaller size and very low cost structure of our femtocell technology. These factors will be critical in determining which company may achieve wide scale deployment using femtocell. magicJack has been developing this technology for over six years and has taken an entirely different path than the rest of the industry. Dr. YW Sing, the inventor of the first video phone chip, and Dan Borislow, the inventor of magicJack, in collaboration have designed and built a new chip that enables our femtocell product. This same chip will revolutionize the way we are able to reach 911 emergency centers too. Said Borislow, “We believe our technology might be the only one that makes sense for any telephone operator to deploy. With over five million magicJacks in the hands of consumers and business owners across the globe, magicJack users create a massive network that will be available via the femtocell technology.” The femtocell product will first be available to magicJacks’ existing customer base.

The YMAX Voice Network has supported magicJack with complete reliability as its growth scaled to 200,000 new customers per month in 2009. Our parent company YMAX designed the network to be the lowest cost and highest quality voice network in the industry with more switches/gateways (50 plus) and more session border controllers for security than any other telecom company. YMAX is certified in all 50 states and has the largest breadth of area codes in the country.

Who is magicJack and YMAX?

magicJack is a subsidiary of YMAX. YMAX not only owns magicJack, it also owns its own chip company, softphone company, softswitch/SBC/application server company and has two patents with six others pending. YMAX believes all of its subsidiaries have the market leading technology in their respective fields.

In the past two years, magicJack has sold over five million magicJacks. These plug and play devices can replace home or business phone service for just $20 a year by providing free local and long distance, free voice mail, your own phone number and many other features. Since its launch, the magicJack has received numerous product of the year awards. magicJack is adding 8,000 new customers a day and is sold in almost every major retailer and online. Radio Shack gave magicJack their most innovative product of the year award in 2009. We expect to see additional awards once the femtocell technology is introduced in 2010.

YMAX delivers close to a billion minutes a month now with 99.9% reliability. It has not only been the fastest growing telephone provider ever but has increased its customer care scores by over 10 times in the last two years. Customers reach us on average within four seconds, 24/7. Customers are asked to grade us between 1 and 5 with 5 being excellent service. We began with one 1 to three 5’s. Now on any given day, we get one 1 to forty 5’s. Rated an A by the Better Business Bureau (BBB), this rating is well deserved.

magicJack is currently rolling out a major upgrade to save your contacts and recently called numbers on our network so they are more accessible to you. If you add a second location or use our soon-to-be-announced, stand-alone service (similar to Skype but at a fraction of the cost and with better call quality), you can share this important data across all your phones and computer.

YMAX is a profitable company that had GAAP revenues of about $30 million in 2008 and $110 million in 2009.

magicJack will be exhibiting at the ShowStoppers media event tonight and hosting a private media party for viewing the femtocell technology in the Wynn Fairway Villas (#307) adjacent to the ShowStoppers ballroom. Please be in touch with Kari Hernandez at kari@ink-pr.com for access to the private event where we are giving away over 300 magicJacks.

Update: Vodafone UK have an FAQ about the Nexus One; nothing particularly striking as yet, but it confirms buyers will have access to plans “similar to those Vodafone offers for its wide range of smartphones”.

“I can confirm that Vodafone is the first operator to partner with Google to offer the Nexus One in Europe, starting soon in the UK, in a few short weeks. No detail on pricing and precise timing has yet been made, but that will come in a few weeks.” Vodafone spokesperson

The arrival of the Vodafone Nexus One will mean that UK buyers will be able to pick up a cheaper handset (with agreement) rather than paying the $529 SIM-free, unlocked price.  It’s unclear whether a version of that unlocked handset will be made available in UK pounds and shipped from within the country as well; Vodafone are yet to confirm any pricing.  Sales will be through Google’s webstore; the search giant confirmed Vodafone as an upcoming carrier partner at their launch event for the Nexus One yesterday; the smartphone will also arrive on Verizon’s US network in CDMA form sometime in Spring 2010.

The 21-year-old encryption standard used to protect GSM voice calls has been cracked by a group of 24 hackers in Berlin. The A5/1 algorithm is 64-bit and encrypts voice calls placed over GSM networks. Encryption specialist Karsten Nohl has taken the raw binary data and turned it into a 2TB codebook that allows for decoding of the valid encryption key.

The GSM congress is understandably miffed and says that cracking the encryption standard is illegal in the US. The GSM congress also wants to point out that a hacked encryption key doesn’t mean that voice calls are unprotected and mobile carriers can update to a new algorithm to increase security. A stronger A5/3 algorithm is available already for GSM networks.

Unfortunately there’s still no sign of anything so modern and flexible as a microSD card slot for expanding the Pre’s standard 8GB of onboard storage, and we’re not yet sure whether the Mexican Pre will be launched with webOS 1.1.3 as is currently on the European GSM version.  The CDMA Pre on Sprint, in contrast, is already at 1.3.0.

It’ll also be interesting to see whether Palm and Telcel lock the Mexican Pre to the network.  That’s going to be of great interest to AT&T subscribers in the US, who have been eagerly waiting for a GSM model that will run on their 3G network; currently an unlocked Pre is only available in Germany, but it comes with a non-QWERTY keyboard layout.

Interestingly, the MILESTONE comes with an 8GB microSD card, whereas the DROID on Verizon comes with a 16GB card; however we found that the class 2 microSD supplied with the CDMA handset proved too slow for judder-free high-resolution video playback.  In the MILESTONE’s case, that 8GB card is preloaded with Western Europe mapping data for use with Motorola’s own MOTONAV turn-by-turn directions app, since Google Maps Navigation is currently US-only.

From what we can tell from the German-language site, the MILESTONE is available to order now; we’re not sure when it will ship, but earlier rumors suggested it would be on sale imminently.  As for whether the DROID is any good, check out our full review here.

[via Twitter]

Video demo after the cut

What we don’t yet know is any sort of release date for the handset, either in the US or in Europe.  The DROID in the video is looking a little sluggish, though, so we’re hoping this is an early build rather than what we can expect from the shipping model’s 600MHz Cortex A8 processor.

[Thanks Pete!]

However, market analysts like me (and fellow SlashGear columnist Michael Gartenberg) rarely talk about specific products before they’re launched. Often, that’s because I can’t: vendors frequently tell me what they are working on ahead of time under non-disclosure agreements. Another reason that I don’t make specific predictions is that I simply hate being wrong: my job depends on my being both trustworthy and generally accurate, and I’m not about to jeopardize that for a bit of extra attention in the press.

However, for my first SlashGear column I thought I’d make an exception, since there is one question I get asked more often than any other, by clients, journalists, at birthday parties, dinner parties, at the supermarket, and even when I’m trying to pray in the synagogue: when is Apple going to bring the iPhone to Verizon Wireless?

Apple has a contractual exclusive with AT&T that expires… at some point in the future. The exact contract length was never made public, but at the time the iPhone was first launched in 2007, journalists were quoting unnamed sources that it was a five year exclusive, which would keep the iPhone an AT&T exclusive through 2012. More recent articles have said that it is actually a three year exclusive, without even quoting “people familiar with the matter.” I have my own sources, but I don’t think it matters when the exclusive ends – the contract isn’t the only thing keeping the iPhone an AT&T exclusive.

Thanks to U.S. regulatory environment and frequency allocation issues stretching back to the Reagan/Bush administration (and on through the Clinton and W Bush eras), every national U.S. carrier runs a different mix of technologies, often on different frequencies. AT&T runs a GSM/HSPA network while Verizon Wireless runs a CDMA/EV-DO network. The technologies are not compatible, so the iPhone quite literally will not function on Verizon Wireless’ network; this is not a matter of SIM locks or contractual exclusives – it just won’t work. Now you can certainly create a phone that has multiple radios in it to talk to whatever network you want to use, and HTC, RIM, and Samsung (among others) have done so, typically for phones aimed at business travelers. However, Apple is not likely to reengineer the iPhone to work on CDMA. Apple is a software company that delivers its user experience in hardware packages. Apple focuses on user interface simplicity and design, putting a lot of energy and effort behind just a few hardware platforms, and then sells them as broadly as possible. (By contrast, RIM is an engineering-driven company that brags about writing its own radio firmware to eke out potential performance gains.)

AT&T’s underlying GSM/HSPA technology is used broadly throughout the world, fitting Apple’s business model nicely, while CDMA/EV-DO is used primarily in North America and South Korea. CDMA is also a technology without a long term roadmap at this point; for 4G deployments, Verizon Wireless is moving to LTE, while the other big CDMA carrier, Sprint is already rolling out a competing (and incompatible) technology, WiMAX, with its partner Clearwire. Happily, AT&T is also moving to LTE, as are many European operators, so at some point there will almost certainly be an LTE iPhone and that iPhone will work on Verizon Wireless’ LTE network. It’s worth noting that the 700 MHz spectrum that Verizon Wireless is using for its LTE network was purchased with open access requirements built in – in other words, the carrier will not be able to lock LTE devices to its network.

So the question now hinges on when Verizon Wireless will have its LTE network up and running. Verizon Wireless is planning a 2010 rollout – hey, that’s just next year! Not so fast. It will take several years before Verizon Wireless has completed its rollout. After all, if you’re interested in Verizon Wireless for the quality of its network, you aren’t going to want a phone that only works in a dozen cities and doesn’t have the same coverage that Verizon Wireless’ CDMA network is known for. We also need to wait for the LTE chipsets to mature enough for Apple to bet on them. The first chips for any new technology are buggy or power hungry or both. It’s not just the chips; the antennas for prototype LTE phones using 700 MHz (the frequency Verizon Wireless and AT&T will be using) are currently almost as thick as the iPhone itself. The chips and antenna technologies will certainly improve I the future, but in the meantime, can you imagine Steve Jobs approving an iPhone with an external antenna? I can’t.

Based on my discussions with Verizon Wireless, with chipset providers, and with Apple, my best guess for when all these stars will align is somewhere around 2013 or 2014. At that time you should be able to buy an LTE iPhone that will work on either AT&T or Verizon Wireless.

But not Sprint.